El Clasico redux and Napoli-Juve could decide title races

Two of the biggest games of the season take place this weekend: El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday, while in Italy the rivalry between Napoli and Juventus will be renewed on Sunday.

La Liga

With the title on the line, Barcelona travel to Madrid this Saturday to take on rivals Real in another emotion-filled El Clasico on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu. The game comes just three days after the sides clashed at the same stadium in the Copa del Rey semifinals.

Among the bountiful storylines to stem from this match is Lionel Messi’s wonderful form after a series of lackluster performances. Last weekend, Messi had a wonderful game against Sevilla, tallying a hat trick and an assist in the 4-2 victory and eradicating any notion the Argentine isn’t still among the best players on the planet.

Barcelona are in first place with 57 points, followed by Atletico Madrid with 50 and Real at 48. Atletico face eighth-place Real Sociedad, who have yet to lose a league match in 2019, on the road this Sunday.

“When everything flows, things go well for us,” Messi said of his side after last Saturday’s game. “We were back to playing like we know how.”

Real Madrid, meanwhile, have been inconsistent throughout season and are trying to finish in the top four following a sluggish start. Los Blancos hope the home support and a strong all-around team effort can push them towards victory.

“We are ready for everything,” Real Madrid striker Vinicius Junior told reporters. “Messi is an incredible player who does things that nobody else can do. But we are not afraid of him. Even though he is a great player, we have the best players in the world on our squad.”

The team may feature some of the best players, but there is also turmoil in the Real camp with striker Gareth Bale seemingly at a breaking point with the Welsh star. Many of his teammates have been critical of Bale, just another chapter in the ongoing that is Real this season.

Serie A

While Barca and Real tangle in Spain, Italy’s top two teams will have their own rumble when defending champion Juventus travel to the hot cauldron that is the Stadio San Paolo to take on second-place Napoli on Sunday.

Juve have gotten the better of the Partenopei the past few seasons and this season is likely to produce the same outcome. It’s not that Napoli haven’t been playing well, but it’s the Bianconeri that have been unstoppable through matchday 26 thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo (despite his sagging form in the Champions League) and a cast of veteran superstars.

Juventus lead the table with 69 points, while Napoli are 13 points back. Even a Napoli win is likely not to change the outcome of the scudetto race. Napoli, it seems, may be banking on trying to capture the Europa League this spring given that the league looks to be out of reach once again.

Nonetheless, Napoli manager Carlo Ancelotti, in an interview with Sky Sport, said: “It’ll be a fascinating match against Juventus and an honor for us to face a side that is doing better than anyone this season.”

As is the case in Italy, expect refereeing controversies. Despite the use of VAR, there have been a string of poor decisions. Last weekend’s wild 3-3 draw between Fiorentina and Inter was just the latest example of it.

In other games to watch this weekend: Lazio play Roma in the Rome derby on Saturday at the Stadio Olimpico, while third-place Inter Milan play on Friday at Cagliari.

Bundesliga

The battle for the title in Germany continues to be a two-team battle between leaders Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

Dortmund continues to hold a three-point edge over the Bavarian giants and matchday 24 could be another chance for Bayern to inch a bit closer.

BVB are on the road Friday at 15th-place Augsburg, while Bayern play the following day in a much-tougher away game against third-place Borussia Monchengladbach.

Dortmund are buoyed by the return of team captain Marco Reus following a thigh injury last month. Reus has scored13 goals and recorded six assists this season and last played in a 1-1 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in early February.

Bayern, meanwhile, are still aiming to win a treble and are pinning those hopes on players like Javi Martinez. The Spanish midfielder has had some strong games as of late, with the club hoping he could help propel them to more success this year as the Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaftrace continues to be one of the best in Europe.